Lulzsec UK members given record jail sentences

Four members of Lulzsec have earned the UK’s longest ever jail sentences for hacking.

The BBC reports one member was given 32 months, which according to the Guardian is the longest jail sentence ever given out for hacking, which falls under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

One other member was given 30 months, while Lulzsec’s main publicist received 24 months in a young offender institution. The youngest member – an 18 year old who was sitting his A-levels at the height of Lulzsec’s notoriety – was hit with a 20 month suspended sentence and 300 hours of community service.

In addition to sentences handed down in the UK this week, the four face possible extradition to the US for further charges.

Lulzsec, often described as an off-shoot of Anonymous, was responsible for hacking a number of organisations including Sony, Nintendo and EA, as well as the CIA and FBI. Unlike self-described hacktivist groups, it was often said to be doing it “for the lulz”, or to pursue vendettas, rather than for any particular political belief.

Two further members of Lulzsec have been arrested internationally – an Australian, and a US man said to be one of the group’s leaders, who helped identify the others and has not yet been charged.